Shadows Still Remain
by Yuffie Valentine
Summary: What funny games the mind plays on someone with Jenova in them, Cloud is the predator and Yuffie the prey
1. Default Chapter

Shadows still remain

Shadows still remain

By Yuffie Valentine

Cloud walked alone in the woods outside of the snow city. She was gone, Aeris was gone. He couldn't believe it; one of his best friends was dead. She was so full of joy and was smiling. Did she know it was coming, the end?

Now, in the morning, they would head down the mountain and go to the crater. There he would get his revenge.

"What am I doing out here?" Cloud asked himself. He hadn't noticed he walked out into the wild of nowhere; he was so deep in thought. It was about a mile out of the snow city now. 

"Cloud?" a voice called out.

He turned around to see Yuffie standing there in her night gear, which was a very long t-shirt that went down to her knees. It had a large chocobo picture on it. She had bought it as a souvenir at Gold Saucer, but the only had size XXXL left. 

"Yuffie what are you doing out here? You are going to freeze in just a t-shirt!" Cloud said. 

"I followed you when you got out of bed, I thought you were going to fight or something. I didn't want you to go alone." Yuffie said.

"Yuffie, we need to get you back to the inn, you are going to get sick." Cloud said concerned. He put his hand to hers; she was as cold as ice. "God, why didn't you grab some shoes and a coat?"

"I didn't think you were going so far." Yuffie said with a shiver. "What are you doing out here in battle gear with your sword?"

"I don't know….." Cloud said. He just had the feeling he had to come out here, he wasn't sure.

"He is hunting, can't you see?" a voice called out fro above. Yuffie and Cloud looked up.

"Sephiroth!" Yuffie let out with a gasp. She grabbed Cloud. Sephiroth landed in front of the two.

"Dear ninja girl, don't be afraid. This was all planned. I used my bond with this puppet to bring him out here. I knew either you or Tifa would follow him out here. Then the game is set." Sephiroth said. He gave a smile.

"What game?" Cloud asked as he drew his sword and put Yuffie Behind him, shielding her.

"Why, the oldest game in the world. The hunt. Where predator chases down prey and then kills it." Sephiroth said and moved closer to Cloud.

"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I am not being your prey." Cloud said.

"Oh, I never planned for you to be the prey, it's this cute little rabbit behind you." Sephiroth gave a smile to Yuffie.

"Cloud, I can't fight him, I don't have a weapon!" Yuffie cried out. She moved closer to Cloud. Her body heat was dropping it was so cold and frightening out here. She wanted to be back at the inn. Cloud could protect her better there.

"Don't worry, I am not going to let him hurt anyone else, especially you or any other of the team." Cloud said and took battle stance.

"Again, you are mistaken, I am not the killer tonight, I am merely the man pulling the strings." Sephiroth said and tapped Cloud on the shoulder. The anger in Cloud's face turned to panic. He couldn't move.

"Yuffie?" Cloud asked.

"Yes?" Yuffie let out of her mouth, she was shaking with frozen fear.

"Run!" Cloud yelled out.

"What?" Yuffie said.

"Just run and don't look back damn it! Run as fast as you can and don't stop no matter what I say after this." Cloud said.

Yuffie's eyes widen. She turned and began to run a full out sprint. It was a mile or two to the city. She knew if she just put the pain of the cold past her she could make it in about ten minutes. Her feet were numb and she was already losing feeling to her body.

 "Cloud, it's time to put the little bunny to sleep." Sephiroth said. He gave a small laugh.

"No, don't make me do this. It's evil. Just fight me, let her go!" Cloud said. He could feel Sephiroth entering his mind and taking control. His hands were no longer his and his body moved by it self. He started to think crazy thoughts.

"Sorry my friend, I have to see how much control I have over you, this is a little test. No kill the girl!" Sephiroth said in a chill tone.

"Yes master." Cloud said. He turned emotionless and started to sprint after the footprints. He was no longer Cloud, he was a puppet.

Yuffie gasped for breath. It can't be, she was lost in these woods? She had lived in woodland most of her life, how could she get lost.

"Damn it!" Yuffie said. " I am too good of a fighter for this to happen to me. I am Yuffie, I am champion of Wuati."

She heard foot steps in the distance. She wasn't sure who is was but she wasn't going to find. She tried to run again but it was just too cold. She sat down in the snow and started to feel under it for a weapon of any kind. She found a large branch. She knew this would do shit against a sword, but she wouldn't die without a fight. 

"Stay back!" Yuffie yelled out. She raised the branch in the air. She could see to Mako green eyes glowing in the dark. They lighted up Cloud's face. "Cloud?"

"…." Cloud said nothing. His face as cold as the snow beneath him, he continues to walk towards Yuffie.

"Cloud, what happen with Sephiroth? Why did you tell me to run, I could have helped some how, I do carry material on me you know." Yuffie said. Cloud just walked silently towards her. His face, it was like when he was looking at Aeris right before she died. Then it clicked in Yuffie's mind what was going on.

"Quiet Rabbit, this will go faster." Cloud said in a manic voice.

"No Cloud, No! Don't do this, you don't want to hurt me!" Yuffie said she got to her feet, her legs barely being able to hold her up. Cloud raised the sword to her neck.

"Shhhh!" He said. He pulled back ready to strike. Yuffie reached into her nightgown and pulled out two materia, she didn't know which two; she had stolen them from Cid's spear on the way out the door. One was 'enemy skills' and the other was 'luck plus'. 

'Great.' Yuffie thought to herself, 'I am armed with the two worse materia for this battle.' She didn't have much to do; she pulled back her arm and pitch the 'luck plus' like a baseball at Cloud. It hit him right in the middle of his face. He dropped the sword and held his face.

Cloud tried to stop the bleeding, as he was doing this Yuffie grabbed the sword from the ground. She took battle stance with the sword, it was hard since it was heavy and she was so weaken by the cold. 

"Hmph, you'll never be able to swing that, you are too weak. I'll just steal it back, so give it over and make this faster." Cloud said. His voice was not his own, it sounded like Sephiroth. 

"You are right, I can't handle this sword." Yuffie said. She lifted it and threw it deep into a deep brush. 

"Well, I don't need a sword to beat you." Cloud said. He jumped up and tackled her to the ground. His hands wrapping firmly around her neck.

"Cloud NO!" Yuffie cried out and gasped. She kicked at his back and clawed at his arm, but he was totally out of it. The blood covering his face dripped down on to her. "Cloud please, snap out of it."

"Huh?" Cloud said, for a second he snapped out of it, he saw Yuffie laying in the snow barely breathing. Her stomach covered in blood. She looked just…. just like….Aeris. It was just like the sight in the hidden city of the Anicents. 

"Keep doing it, kill her!" A voice cried out in his head. He looked down at Yuffie her eyes started to close.

"So cold, can't stay awake." Yuffie said.

"Cloud, save her. You can't let another one go. She is your friend." A small boy's voice cried out in his head. "Look at her, she is going to die out here. You can't let this happen again."

"Again?" Cloud asked. Images of Aeris being stabbed ran through his mind. The gut turning feeling came back to him he felt that night. He grabbed his head. "NOOOOOOOOO Yuffie!"

"Shame, a failure to the end." Sephiroth said from behind Cloud. "Once again I am going to have to finish your dirty work."

"You can't see she is a child, leave her alone, this isn't something she should have to do." Cloud said. He started to stand up.

"Wasn't it around this age that you went through the cloning, age 16?" Sephiroth smirked. "Well, you are right, I shouldn't kill her or you tonight, I'll let the night air do that for me."

"You're leaving here?" Cloud asked. "Just come and lead us out here to die?"

"Yes, you have a problem with that?" Sephiroth asked. Sephiroth gave Cloud a swift kick in the head, sending Cloud to the ground again. It made the hero dizzy and confused. Cloud was silent as the demon flew up into the sky and disappeared like he has before. Cloud looked over at Yuffie laying in the blizzard that had begun. He crawled back to her and lay down next to her. Her body was ice and her eyes were shut.

"It's okay Yuffie, you aren't alone. We are going to go to sleep and go see Aeris." Cloud said and wrapped his arms around Yuffie.

Her eyes fluttered briefly and her lips opened, "I want to go home."

"We are going home, home to the planet. This is it Yuffie, no more battles, no more Jenova, no more Shinra, just bliss. We'll wake up in a better world." Cloud said. He started to feel sleepy as the cold soaked through his clothes.

"No Cloud, we have to go home, to Vincent and Tifa and Barret.  Even Cid and Red, we have to go back. Or you have to go back, they need you." Yuffie said.

"They need you too don't they?" Cloud asked. Yuffie rested her head on one of Cloud's arms.

"No, Cloud, I am just a normal girl, you are something special." Yuffie said, " I feel it when we are in battle, you have what it takes to go all the way."

"Yeah, but I need friends to get there. I lost one, a few actually. I can't go on losing them. That's why you and me are leaving this world." Cloud said. His eyes closed and he went limp. He tried to talk, but nothing. He could still hear Yuffie breathing gentely.

"I love you….Cloud?" Yuffie said. She went limp too. Cloud opened his eyes to see a light coming towards him. 

"Yuffie, I think this is the end. Sleep, we'll be with Aeris, Biggs, Jessie, Wedge, and everyone else. We'll get to see our mothers. Yuffie?" Cloud looked at her, she had stop breathing. He closed his eyes and began to sleep.

"Cloud? Cloud?" a soft female voice called out in the darkness to him. He knew this voice well. Tifa? Had Tifa died too? Had Sephiroth killed the rest of his friends? Cloud opened his eyes. He was looking at the ceiling of the snow inn. Tifa and Red XIII were on either side of his bed.

"What happened?" Cloud asked. Tifa brushed her hand against his face.

"You are okay now. We found you in the woods next to Yuffie. We aren't sure how you got out there, we were hoping you could tell us?" Red XIII said. Cloud say now that the light he thought was the guiding light to the after life was actually Red XIII flame tail.

"Where is Yuffie?" Cloud asked. Tifa looked away, she let out a sigh.

"Yuffie is with Cid and Vincent. They are taking her to a very good doctor that lives in Midgar. She wasn't doing too well when we found you. I don't know right know what is going on, they won't answer their PHS." Tifa said and put a warm cloth on Cloud's forehead. "You are doing a lot better though."

"It's my fault, she wanted for me to keep going, but I was foolish. Just like Aeris, she wanted me to keep going too, but I stayed depressed." Cloud said. He looked away. A ring from the PHS on the nightstand broke his train of thought. Tifa picked it up.

"Hello? Vincent, what is going on? Why did it take so long to call?" Tifa said, she listened as Vincent talked. "But is she alright?" More silence in the room as she listened. Cloud watched Tifa's face turn pale. "She is strong, she'll pull through." Tifa said it half hearted. Cloud tried to strain to hear, but he could only hear mutters of Vincent's voice. "She'll wake up soon, right?" The mutters were low. "What do you mean they don't know?" Cloud was trying to piece everything together. "A coma? She can't be, what do doctors know anyways?" Tifa threw the PHS across the room and laid her arms in her head and begun to cry. 

"A coma?" Red XIII asked, "That isn't too bad right?"

Cloud patted Red XII on the head and gave him a silence sign. Tifa was going through so much. She had to admit that she wanted to end up with Cloud in the end, but she didn't want Yuffie and Aeris to have to die for her to get this. She rather Aeris be alive and have Cloud. She wanted her friends more then she wanted love. 

"Tifa, Cid just called me on the PHS. He is going to pick us up and we are going to go see Yuffie." Barret said. He looked at Cloud. "You think you'll be okay for traveling?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Cloud said sitting up. A voice in his head let out a laugh 

'Cloud, be sure to finish the job when you visit her.' Sephiroth's voice echoed. Cloud curled up and shook his head.

"NOOOOOO! LEAVE US ALONE!" Cloud yelled out and grabbed his head!

The End

Okay, review! J


	2. 

Shadows still remain

Yuffie valentine

"Yuffie, are you happy with your ninja lessons?" a woman asked.

"Of course I am Mommy! I will be the pride of Wutia and Daddy will love me." A six-year-old Yuffie said with a smile, her childish laugh coming out. Her hair down to her mid back. Dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top similar to the ones she wore in the future. Her mother sighed and sat down behind her, started to braid the long hair into two pigtails.

"Yuffie, just promise me one thing, if you are ever in trouble, remember one thing. Nothing is a stronger weapon then ones mind. Don't forget with ones body growing, the mind most grow as well." Her mother said. "Also, marry out of love." Her mother sighed again.

"Like you and Daddy!" Yuffie said, she was playing with the first braid as her mother worked on the second one.

"Well, since mommy was born her family destined her to marry daddy. But you have to go find your husband, I made it that way. Daddy will never pick your husband." Her mother finished her hair.

"Is that why day is older then you?" Yuffie asked.

"That's is none of your business young lady!" Yuffie's mother laughed. She was a beautiful vision at the age of 23. She gave birth to Yuffie at 17. Because of her birth at a young age, she was never able to safely have another child. Leaving Yuffie the lone descendant of the royal family. Meaning even cause she was a girl; she had to become some type of warrior. She choose Ninja. Her mother always wanted her daughter to be free, not forced into a future of nothing, after the war took all hope from Wutia.

"Mommy, why don't you come watch me at my weapons practice?" Yuffie asked. Her mother smiled.

"Yes I will come Yuffie!" Her mother started to rise, but fell. She looked up at Yuffie with eyes full of tears. "Oh sorry, Yuffie, I guess am not over my illness yet."

"But the doctor said you should be better by now Mommy!" Yuffie pleaded, she helped her mother back to her bed. Her mother very thin, since she has been sick for months now. Her skin was white from lack of sun light, accented by her long black hair. She still looked beautiful, but nothing compared to her former splendor. She lied down in that bed. That was the last time Yuffie ever saw her mother out of bed, the illness won the long battle two months later.

"Yuffie! What have you done to your hair?" Her father yelled. His daughter hair lay in clumps on the floor around her sobbing form.

"I can't braid it!" Yuffie cried out. "If I can't look like Mommy, I don't want to look pretty at all."

'Yuffie……' a voice called out. 

'Who is it?' Yuffie sniffled back. The images of her father and her room faded into black, nothing but black. And the voice.

'Yuffie, can you hear me.' A beautiful voice called to her. 

'I can hear you, where are you?' Yuffie called back into the darkness. She could smell the sweet smell of a woman's perfume. Kind of like her mother's.

'Open your eyes please.' The voice pleaded.

'Huh?' Yuffie opened her eyes, light all around a single figure. Yuffie could tell she was in a bed and the figure was at her side. Her vision was blurred but she could make out some qualities. Dark eyes large and expressive and long dark hair surrounding a young woman's face.

"I was worried about you. I am so glad you are alright." The figure said. Yuffie smiled as the figure brushed her hair out of her eyes. Yuffie closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. She had many dreams of her mother before awaking again. She was still in the bed and but the figure was gone.

"Mother?" Yuffie said. She had her vision back and looked around, to her side she say Red XIII. He smiled at her; she reached out and scratched behind his ear. 

"Yuffie, are you okay?" Red asked.

"Yeah, I am okay, but I think I died." Yuffie said. Red XIII cocked his head to the side in confusion. 

"Well, I am not an expert in human medicine, but the doctors just said you were in a coma." Red XIII said. Yuffie sighed.

"Doctors say a lot of stuff to keep people hoping." Yuffie said. She turned to see Tifa sleeping on the bed next to her. "Red, how long has Tifa been here?"

"All three day you were out, she refused to leave your side. She only sleeps in three hours shifts. She has been driving the doctors crazy." Red XII laughed. He remembered when the doctors tried to drug Tifa to make her sleep, but she found out and wasn't too happy.

Yuffie's eyes started to well up with tears. It wasn't her mother who had talked her into waking up. She looked away from Tifa and looked straightforward. She sat up and froze. Sitting in a chair opposite the foot of her bed was Cloud. His face was a mix of fear, confusion, and sickness. He looked more afraid of her then she was of him. Red XIII saw the tension and excused himself. Besides Tifa, this left Yuffie and Cloud alone. 

Cloud's lip quivered a little and he slowly stood up and made his way to the bed. His feet seem like dead weights, making him stumble slightly. He made it to Yuffie's bedside and sat down. She was still a little bit scared looking. Cloud slowly put his arm around her and pulled her to him. He ran his fingers through her hair and placed light kisses on her head. She slowly loosened up. Letting her weight go into his arms.

"I am so sorry Yuffie. I never would have done that on my own will. I understand if you are scared of me. But you just have to know I am not that man on my own will. Do you understand?" Cloud said, slowly stroking her hair. He didn't even know why he was holding Yuffie like this, he wasn't sure if he felt that way. But just at this moment he needed her in his arms. Needed to make sure she was still alive, still the same person she uses to be.

"Nothing is a stronger weapon then ones mind…"Yuffie muttered subconsciously. She reached up and put her hand on Cloud's face. She pulled herself up and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. He blushed and held her a bit tighter.

Tifa watched from the bed across from Yuffie's. Her bangs were in her face; no one could tell she was awake. She was Yuffie's age when Sephiroth almost killed her. Now in one form or another, Yuffie was going through the same thing. No, she didn't have to wake up alone in a weird doctor's office. Alone. But how could she blame Yuffie, she was just a girl. A girl at that age has a weak heart for that heroic type. She could remember she even had a small crush on Zack when he came. 

 Vincent looked on from the doorway, with his sniper vision he could easily pick up that fact that Tifa was awake and watching the two embrace. Under the cover of his scarf he frowned, Tifa reminded him of his dear Lucercia. They were totally different in the physical appearance, Tifa being more a body of strength, sensuality, and had a face full of beauty and youth. Lucercia on the other hand was more slender, fragile, and was a picture perfect sign of femininity. It's just Tifa's devotion to a man who didn't full respect her reminded Vincent of Lucercia. But Vincent could only bring himself to feel sorry for Tifa, if he gave in to temptation and started to have other feelings, he would only get spurned like before. He walked away from the door unnoticed.

'Cloud….' A voice rang out in his head. He felt himself go numb; he could only move his eyes. He looked at Yuffie as she sweetly nuzzled her face against his neck.

'Please, just don't hurt her, she can't harm you Sephiroth, she is just a girl!' Cloud screamed in his head. He heard laughter.

"Don't worry Cloud, she'll remain safe. I wouldn't dare hurt her, she is harmless. I am hunting much bigger prey. I just need you to help me get my quarry away from the group.' Sephiroth chuckled. Cloud mind was racing, who would he have to hunt this time?

'I won't hunt down anymore of my friends, I'll kill myself before I do that.' Cloud said. He knew he could do it if he got control over his mind for one second. Another laugh responded.

'Oh Cloud, you are a failure. I am hunting this one on my own.' Sephiroth said, 'Now I just need you to get her to depart from the group.'

Cloud felt his body start to move without him directing it. His hands ran through Yuffie's hair. His lips started to lay sweet kisses on Yuffie's face. Then he pulled her closer to him and gave her a passionate kiss. Yuffie seemed surprise, but she wasn't going to say no. She liked Cloud a lot, he was different then anyone else she had ever met. Her mother would have been proud that Yuffie found someone that wasn't part of an arrangement of marriage. Cloud leaned Yuffie back and started to kiss her with an open mouth. 

'What are you doing Sephiroth? Why are you making me do this?' Cloud yelled inside his head.

'Why? What is wrong? Doesn't the sweet taste of her lips excite you? Of course it does, I know, I can read your mind. ' Sephiroth said with a hint of sin to his tone.

'She is only 16 Sephiroth! Stop it! It isn't right!' Cloud screamed angrily. But Sephiroth never answered back, just kept pulling the strings on Cloud.

Tifa laid in shock as Cloud reclined Yuffie back onto the bed. Cloud had never showed those kinds of intensions with Tifa, not even Aeris to her knowledge. Why Yuffie? It was somewhat wrong considering her age. Tifa closed her eyes and jumped from her bed. She made a mad dash for the door, she didn't stop there. She had to get out of the building.

Yuffie had noticed Tifa's leaving. She pushed Cloud up. "WAIT TIFA! I AM SORRY!" Yuffie screamed out. She ran to the window to see Tifa running down the street. "Oh gawd what have we done Cloud?" Yuffie sniffled. She heard the door click behind her. "Cloud?"

"Cloud isn't here right now little bunny…" Cloud said in a sinister voice. Yuffie could see that glow in his eyes that he had the night in the woods.

"No, no, no! Stop it! Leave him alone!" Yuffie cried. She started to back away from him, her back touched the wall. She looked out the window; she could see the rest of the party searching for Tifa. One by one the disappeared from her view. "Oh gawd please don't kill me Cloud! CLOUD!"

"Oh little bunny, the great Sephiroth isn't going to have me kill you. He just wants me to release me inner feelings." Cloud said with a chuckle. He wrapped his arms around Yuffie and started to kiss her again. This time it wasn't sweet and soft. It was hard and forced. 

"Yuffie….I can't stop him….arghhhh…please try to get away…..I am sorry!!!" Cloud screamed out through the kiss. Sephiroth wouldn't let his mind go blank like before, he was making him fully conscious. He noticed he was given the ability to speak, but his body was still a toy. This was worse then before, this way he remembered it all!

"Cloud, I can't get away…" Yuffie said as she struggled, "You are too strong!"

"I am so sorry Yuffie!" Cloud cried. He saw his hands traveling over her body.

"Do you love me Cloud?" Yuffie said as she too watched Cloud move all over her. She then looked up into his eyes.

" Yuffie…I…..yes, I love you Yuffie! I'll make sure everything works out after this, I'll take care of you." Cloud said. He wasn't sure if he did love her, he just knew he had to comfort her. He wasn't sure if Sephiroth intended to make this go all the way. But he couldn't stop it, so he might as well make sure it didn't emotionally scar Yuffie.

"I love you too, Cloud." Yuffie said. She loved him, but she kept resisting. But to no use.

Please review, next part coming


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